Frost & Sullivan aims to:• Understand the IT-related challenges organizations face today• Monitor the status of digital transformation including newer solutions such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality (AR/VR), and mCommerce• Assess the current and future use of business communications technologies• Evaluate factors that drive investments in communications technologies• Gauge IT and communications trends• Appraise available IT budgets

The top challenges for IT departments in the Asia Pacific region include being concerned about aligning IT with business strategies and/or not having a clear IT strategy and managing security (both with 32% of respondents). The number three challenge in APAC is developing a cloud strategy; this is a challenge that did not make the top three in any of the other regions.

Two of the top three IT investment drivers are unique to APAC - improving customer experience and boosting creativity and innovation. Most regions consider cost cutting measures to be more important drivers. However, improving digital presence is not as important in APAC as in other regions.

Big data and analytics is the leading technology to have the greatest impact on revenue growth as well as cost reduction efforts.Once again, APAC is a unique region, with respondents selecting customer –related activities as the top two benefits of IoT implementation – collecting customer usage data and boosting customer/service and marketing. This is in line with the top two IT investment drivers. Most other regions are using IoT to improve operations and automation.

The top two IT solutions in use today are cyber security and data centers. APAC is the only region where the eCommerce/mCommerce make into the top three solutions used.

The optimism around being an early adopter and the high growth in IT investments bodes well for IT solutions providers. Companies that are able to effectively help end user industries to implement a digital transformation strategy will be the winners. Read Less